Boris Bikov
Boris Bikov is the hero of the Russian Federation. Lore A renowned hero within the Russian armed forces, Boris' stealth training makes him invisible unless he attacks an enemy or is spotted by an enemy detector unit. First to Fight Near Bialystok, Polish/Russian border June 2045 "This is impossible! We're all going to DIE here!" Lieutenant Filatov panicked as another European mortar shell found its mark and obliterated the unit's forward air controller. Now the precious laser designator was trapped in the no man's land between a heavily fortified Polish position and the ridge where his platoon had taken cover. Even though many sections of the ECA's supposedly 'impenetrable' border blockade had been breached by massed volleys of tank and artillery fire, the Poles clung to every inch of their home soil, launching attacks from dug-in positions that were well hidden in the extensive forests of the eastern regions. Their favourite tactic was to lay low, let the bulk the Russian armoured spearhead move further inland, then pop out of the undergrowth and wreak havoc on the Federation's supply and reinforcement routes. "This is Serp to ground element! We're circling over the forest with a full payload of incendiaries but we need someone to highlight the target!" the leader of a MiG-45 squadron reported in over the radio while the Lieutenant, who was widely regarded by his men as an ineffectual upper-class twit looking to grab some superficial military bragging rights, rocked back and forth in catatonic shock. It was at this point when one man, a burly Siberian Sergeant by the name Boris Bikov, decided to step in. "Listen up, comrades! I have a plan!" he exclaimed while the European machine gunner kept tearing through the shrubbery. Soon, another 200 round drum magazine was depleted, urging the soldier to reload. In that instant, the Russians popped back up behind the ridge, spraying bullets at the defenders while one of them took aim with an RPG-29. The rocket-propelled grenade zoomed across the field and smashed into the post, silencing the red-hot machine gun forever. "Now! Cover me, comrades!" Boris yelled furiously while he vaulted over the ridge and made a mad, screaming dash to the body of the air controller. The Europeans were so shocked by the sight of this man coming at them like a charging bear that they missed their cue to fire, buying Boris enough time to grab the designator and mark the enemy positions. "Ground element be advised, we've acquired the target and are lining up for our run", the MiG leader confirmed the coordinates. Meanwhile, the defenders had snapped out of their momentary confusion and opened up on Boris, grazing him while he took cover behind a rock. The mortar operators re-adjusted their aim, preparing to lob another shell, when suddenly a group of jets flew above their heads. The European outpost went up in a fireball, prompting the surviving soldiers to abandon the cramped confines of their sandbag positions and retreat. "Come on, you dogs! Do you want to live forever? Urraaaa!" Boris yelled with his Makarov pistol raised above his head while the platoon was inspired by this newfound prospect of victory and pushed forward. The enemy strongpoint appeared to be deserted and the Russians, exhausted by the battle but elated by their success, let their guard down to radio headquarters. Suddenly, the air of triumph was interrupted when a single Polish soldier, apparently the captain of this unit who had pledged his life to hold until the end, emerged from a bunker with a live fragmentation grenade in his hand. Boris and his comrades proceeded to open fire, but the man kept running towards them whilst his body got riddled by a hail of bullets. Before he succumbed to his fatal injuries, the Pole threw himself onto Lieutenant Filatov and released the safety handle.First to Fight update Downfall Berlin, Germany, February 2046 General Francis Thorn watched the CCTV screens in the situation room, silently observing as an RPG-29 grenade smashed into the German Gepard anti-air tank that defended the large square in front of the Brandenburg Gate, a mere stone's throw away from the American Embassy. The civilian staff had been evacuated after the Russians had crossed the Oder river and proceeded to converge on Berlin. Now, Thorn and a sizeable group of CIA and military operators had been ordered to stay behind, get 'rolled over' by the Russian front and discreetly establish a contact with the various European resistance groups that were expected to form in the aftermath. From the outside, the American Embassy resembled a stronghold, its windows covered up by armoured blinds and protected by sentry guns that were primed to obliterate any hostile intruder foolish enough to set foot on this fortified strip of American soil. Even President Suvorov himself had issued strict orders that the American and Chinese representations in Berlin were not to be harmed in a wishful effort to keep what would later be known as the Third World War contained in Europe. Meanwhile, the man who had fired the RPG let out a roar of triumph, for it was none other than the recently promoted Lieutenant Boris Bikov, who had become a rather well-known propaganda icon for his bravery in battle. Whilst the Russian tank formations were still making their slow advance through streets littered with German tank hunters, the Federation's forward infantry forces had already established a stable perimeter around Mitte, the central government district of the German capital, where the opposition was almost fanatical. Despite the nigh-constant onslaught across the entire front, the outmanned and outgunned defenders were holding onto this decisive part of the city for sixty hours at this point. "Forward, comrades! This is our chance to break through!" Boris yelled, once again rallying his fellow soldiers as they mounted over the field of fallen men who had previously been cut down in droves by the Flakpanzer. Boris recognised an exploitable breach when he saw one and pressed on, for the Reichstag, the iconic seat of the German government, was little more than 200 metres away. Ever since its completion in 1894, the massive sandstone structure was a silent witness to the turbulent history of Berlin. More recently in 2028, the Reichstag had once again been the site of political upheaval when thousands of citizens gathered around it in the wake of the GLA attack, demanding the highly unpopular 'Europakoalition' to step down. What followed was an intense standoff between the demonstrators and the German Army which sided with its people, arrested the government and formed a provisional council that subsequently layed the groundwork for what would eventually become the ECA after similar events in many other European countries. Boris, who was still serving his time as an ordinary conscript back then, remembered watching this pivotal moment on television; and now, he too would become a part of the Reichstag's history. The German defenders did not let up, unleashing a hail of machine gun fire from the windows. After almost an hour of skirmishes outside the building, a detachment of Kodiak tanks managed to link up with the infantry elements. "This is it, comrades! Inside!", Boris exclaimed while he ditched the unwieldy RPG launcher in favour of a PK general purpose machine gun that he 'borrowed' from one of the tanks. Meanwhile, the defenders had retreated into the sheltered heart of the structure. Curiously for the Russians, many of them were wearing their stone-grey dress uniforms as they provided better concealment in the urban environment and created the fearsome illusion that they were some sort of elite guard unit, prompting Boris and his comrades to advance with utmost caution. The Germans made their final stand in the great parliament chamber, exchaging fire with the Russians as they swarmed in from all directions. The sound of gunfire, explosions and defiant battle cries, 'Za Rodinu' on the one side and 'Fuer das Vaterland' on the other, sounded through the entire building. Boris tried to flank his way past the defenders and was suddenly ambushed by a single German soldier who jumped at him with a combat knife, dragging him to the ground. The two men wrestled their way across the room while their comrades tore each other apart all around them. The furious German snarled angry, incomprehensible phrases at Boris as he tried to thrust the menacing black blade into the face of his eastern adversary. Boris could barely breathe under the weight of the tall soldier but managed to deliver a shattering headbutt to the nose of his foe, knocking him back. He promptly pulled out his trusty Makarov pistol and repeatedly pulled the trigger until the slide snapped back and locked in place; a close call. Suddenly, Boris noticed that the fighting around him had calmed down and that his comrades must have either died or moved on. He carefully inspected the rooms, finding countless bodies in grey and Flora-patterned uniforms. The parliament was shot up beyond recognition, with its blue seats torn to pieces by the fighting and a large, gaping impact hole in the steel statue of the German federal eagle that loomed above the morbid scenery. After a while, Boris walked up a staircase that took him up to the roof-top terrace where he witnessed a scene that he would never forget...Downfall update Abilities Add-ons Boris can only have one loadout add-on applied at a time. The loadout can be changed when he is killed and retrained. Behind the scenes * Prior to 1.87 the Boris Machine Gun Loadout or Boris RPG Launcher Loadout is required to train him, with the selection is permanent for the rest of the match. In addition, he does not yet have the Inspire, Fire Flare Gun and Aimed Shot abilities. See also * Colonel Burton * Black Lotus * Jarmen Kell * Frank Jaeger References Category:Infantry Category:Heroes Category:Russian infantry